Indoor Photovoltaics for the Internet-of-Things – A Comparison of State-of-the-Art Devices from Different Photovoltaic Technologies
Source abstract
Abstract
Photovoltaics (PV) is an attractive candidate for powering the rapidly growing market of smart devices in the Internet-of-Things (IoT) such as sensors, actuators, and wearables. Using solar cells and rechargeable batteries to power IoT devices avoids the expensive replacement of disposable batteries and reduces the environmental impact. IoT devices are often operated indoors under artificial light, which differs from (outdoor) sunlight as it is a much narrower, mainly visible spectrum with typically a factor of 500–1000 lower intensity. In this work, the performances of state-of-the-art devices of eight different PV technologies (amorphous and crystalline silicon, copper indium gallium selenide, cadmium telluride, III–V, organic, dye-sensitized, and perovskite) are compared under identical indoor illumination conditions. Their performance under low illuminances between 100 and 1000 lx is analyzed, and the crucial importance of sufficiently large parallel resistance is highlighted. Absorber materials with larger band gaps show less thermalization losses and thus reach higher power conversion efficiencies, in agreement with theoretical expectations. The best device, a gallium indium phosphide solar cell, with a band gap of 1.89 eV shows a record efficiency of 39.9% under 500 lx cold white LED light.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: solar cell performance optimization · Perovskite Materials and Applications · Thin-Film Transistor Technologies
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Heidenhofstr. 2, Freiburg 79110, Germany
Freiburg Materials Research Center FMF, University of Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Str. 21, Freiburg 79104, Germany
Cluster of Excellence livMatS, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, Freiburg 79110, Germany
Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstofforschung Baden-Württemberg (ZSW), Meitnerstraße 1, Stuttgart 70563, Germany
Centre for Solar Energy Research (CSER), Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM), Faculty of Science and Engineering, Bay Campus, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales SA1 8EN, U.K.
Saule Technologies, Wroclaw Technology Park, 11 Dúnska Str., Sigma building, Wroclaw 54-427, Poland
School of Natural and Environmental Science, Bedson Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, U.K.
Funding
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council · European Regional Development Fund · Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft · Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie · First Solar Inc. · Welsh European Funding Office
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